-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For the past five years , Austria-based art historian and photographer Alfred Weidinger has traveled across Africa in search of royalty . His photography project , The Last Kings of Africa , is his attempt to capture the beauty and mystique of the region 's most powerful sovereigns . So far he has photographed 220 tribal kings and leaders , with many more to go .

`` I have a sort of deadline for myself -- which is the end of next year . It 's not a question of the amount of kings or tribal leaders , it 's just a question of countries , '' says Weidinger , who plans to visit Africa twice this year and six times in 2015 .

`` There are still countries I definitely want to visit , for example Swaziland and the southern part of Sudan . ''

Weidinger 's photographic endeavors in Africa started in 1979 but the cumbersome equipment typical to that era quickly deterred the photographer . Fast forward 30 years , and a chance commission for a photographic exhibition sparked a long-term project where the lavish culture of Africa 's dynasties became the focus .

Weidinger had no definitive guide to help him locate all of Africa 's royals and tribal leaders . Armed with only two cameras and a tripod , his trips were mostly improvised .

`` There is no list , there is nothing ! So you just have to go there , '' says Weidinger .

`` The most important thing is to find one king -- when I have one , he will guide me to the others . ''

The power game

There are hundreds of African monarchies scattered across the continent but in most cases governing power is either restricted or nonexistent . Government officials , however , know it 's best not to overlook the influence these leaders possess over their respective communities .

`` Some countries put the monarch system back into the constitution , they give power to the traditional leaders , '' says Weidinger .

`` In effect , some politicians use it because every tribal leader -LRB- represents -RRB- an ethnic group and they still follow the words of the elder or the tribal leader , they are not following what is happening with the politicians in the capital . ''

According to Richard Dowden , the director of The Royal African Society and author of Africa : Authored States , Ordinary Miracles , monarchies tend to flourish in countries with a weak government structure or lacking a formal constitution . In these instances , tribal leaders and monarchs are deemed more trustworthy for getting things done . Niger , Sierra Leone , Burkina Faso and Benin are a few examples of countries with a strong tribal leaders , some of whom occasionally tackle government functions . Fon Ndofoa Zofoa III , for example , makes official decisions over hereditary land in his chiefdom in Babungo in Cameroon . Other leaders , like Sarauniya Aljima , the queen of Lougou in Niger , weigh in on private matters , such as marriage .

`` When there is a marriage to be made -LRB- in the village , monarchs -RRB- will return to sort it out . In these sorts of matters , they do retain a lot of power , '' says Dowden .

Weidinger found that one thing that seems to distinguish African monarchs from royals across the globe is a keen religious focus :

`` Their power is in spirituality and this makes -LRB- African monarchs -RRB- so unique . ''

The danger of cell phones

Weidinger says that in his opinion , the biggest threat to Africa 's last remaining monarchs is n't local government , but modernity .

Though poised in luxurious cloths and perched on gilded thrones , the threat of globalization has disturbed the influence and social standing of many of Wedinger 's subjects .

`` When you come to a region and you see that they are working with mobile phones , it 's a kind of sign . If you see mobile phones you definitely know that it 's a dying ethnic group . African culture is changing , there are changes in communication . People are going to the capitals and living where there is no need for a king anymore , '' he says , adding that cell phones have made people living in rural communities less isolated . Now , the problems they would typically raise with their community leaders they can take to experts further afield .

Dowden , however , thinks these monarchs will retain their power for a while yet .

`` I think the chiefs will survive , '' he says .

`` Depending on how local governments in Africa develop , they 'll either become figures for tourists or they 'll continue to play a very important role . ''

@highlight

Photographer Alfred Weidinger is traveling across Africa to capture the continent 's last remaining monarchs

@highlight

He has photographed 220 tribal kings and chiefs since 2009

@highlight

The biggest threat to these monarchs , says Weidinger , is cell phones